An Anthropology of Turquoise
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By Christina Riley
An Anthropology of Turquoise is a triptych named after a book by Ellen Meloy of the same name, from my time as an artist-in-residence at Knockvologan Studios on the Isle of Mull. My research focused on the colour palettes of the coast, from washed up crab shells or pebbles which matched their surrounding landscapes to the thick turquoise fishing rope emerging from aquamarine seas.
Christina Riley (b. 1988) was born in Florida and lives in Ayrshire on Scotland's west coast. With a focus on coastal waters and the undersea, her work draws attention small details — a particular species, object or place — to shift perspectives and encourage new ways of seeing and experiencing our surroundings, natural and otherwise. Longlisted for Canongate's Nan Shepherd Prize for Nature Writing she has recently been published by Gutter, Extra Teeth, The Clearing, Caught by the River, Minding Nature and Little Toller and has presented work at solo and group exhibitions across the UK. Her first photobook, The Beach Today, was published by Guillemot Press in 2021 and her debut non-fiction book, on experiences and encounters underwater in Scotland, will be published in 2025. In 2019 she started The Nature Library, a travelling library exploring the role of literature in times of climate crisis, which opened a long-term premises in 2024.